Welcome to my blog---an eyes-open, no-holds-barred exploration of Western and Eastern spirituality, mindfulness, philosophy and literature. A member of the Australian and New Zealand Mental Health Association, I lectured at the NSW Institute of Psychiatry to mental health workers for 14 years and at the University of Technology, Sydney to law students for 16 years. My interests include metaphysics, the psychology of religion, transformative ritual, mythology and addiction recovery.

Thursday, August 18, 2016

African-American women with lower socio-economic status have an increased
risk of depressive disorders, yet they rarely seek out antidepressants or
psychotherapy because of negative attitudes and stigma associated with
conventional mental health treatments.

A new pilot Northwestern Medicine study showed that eight weeks of mindfulness
training helped alleviate their depressive symptoms and reduce stress,
providing an effective alternative to more conventional treatment.

‘Many
women are in need of help with their depression and coping with daily life, but
they don't seek it out because of limited access to high-quality mental health
services and the stigma within their families and communities,’ said the
study's principal investigator Dr Inger Burnett-Zeigler [pictured left], assistant professor of
psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. ‘Our study shows that there are alternatives to traditional mental
health treatment, such as mind-body approaches, that effectively alleviate
symptoms and can be done autonomously in the comfort of their own home.’

Over the
course of the 16-week study, the average depressive symptoms and stress scores
decreased across the 31 participants. They also reported an increase in
well-being and were able to recognize stressful triggers in their lives, notice
how their bodies react to triggers and learn how to gain more control over
their physiological responses to stress.

‘It felt
good to be in control of my emotions for the first time in my life,’ one
participant said. Another said, ‘We are always superwomen [and] we have to be
able to do everything, and that brings out a lot of stress. ...This helped me
to reorganize and put [these stressful events] in the proper perspective and
understand I have an opportunity to learn how to calm myself down and recognize
what is going on.’

Dr Burnett-Zeigler
and her co-authors recruited women from the Komed Holman Health Center, an FQHC
on Chicago's South Side. At the time of recruitment, 91 per cent of the women
at the center were eligible for the study, which demonstrates the high level of
mental health need among adult women in the FQHC. Thirty-one women ended up
participating in the study.

Source: JGI/Jamie Grill via Getty Images

Dr Burnett-Zeigler
said there is great potential to expand mindfulness-based interventions
nationally based on this growing need to provide low-cost, effective mental
health services in community-based settings. Her future studies aim to examine
the feasibility of national implementation and dissemination.

The
mindfulness techniques Dr Burnett-Zeigler teaches include sitting meditation,
yoga, mental body scans and taking a mindful pause to be in the moment.
Patients are encouraged to increase their awareness of everyday activities,
such as taking a shower or drinking a cup of coffee.

‘These
practices help them take a step back and live in the moment versus worrying
about what's already happened or what's to come,’ Dr Burnett-Zeigler said. ‘People
who are depressed or who have depressive symptoms often have tunnel vision,
whereby they're only seeing information in the environment that supports their
negative beliefs.’

Study
participants also were encouraged to engage in daily practice at home, in
addition to the guided sessions in the clinic. On average, participants
practiced meditation, yoga and mental body scans four days per week and spent
an average of 2.5 hours practicing a week.

Before
participating in the study, 45 per cent of the women reported no prior
experience with meditation, and 71 per cent reported no past experience with
yoga. All of the women who participated in the study reported symptoms of
depression, however 87 per cent had not received any mental health treatment in
the past year.

IMPORTANT NOTICE:See theTerms of Use and Disclaimer.
The information providedon this
blog is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosisor treatment. Never delay or disregard
seeking professional medical advice from your medical practitioner or other
qualified health provider because of something you have read on this blog. In
Australia, for immediate advice or support callLifelineon
13 1 1 14,beyondblueon 1300 22 4636, orKids Helplineon 1800 55 1800, and for information,
advice and referral on mental illness contact theSANE Helplineon 1800 18 SANE (7263) or go online
viasane.org. In other countries, call the relevant mental health
care emergency hotline or simply dial your emergency assistance telephone
number and ask for help.

‘When stimulant users attempt to quit,
some of the most frequent complaints have to do with intolerable feelings of
depression, sadness and anxiety, conditions that often lead people to drop out
of treatment early,’ says Dr Suzette Glasner [pictured right], lead author of
the study and associate professor at UCLASemel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior.

‘Mindfulness practice not only helps
them to manage cravings and urges, but also enables them to better cope with
the psychological discomfort that can precipitate a relapse,’ says Dr Glasner.

IMPORTANT NOTICE:See theTerms of Use and Disclaimer.
The information providedon this
blog is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosisor treatment. Never delay or disregard
seeking professional medical advice from your medical practitioner or other qualified
health provider because of something you have read on this blog. In Australia,
for immediate advice or support callLifelineon 13 1 1 14,beyondblueon 1300 22 4636, orKids Helplineon 1800 55 1800, and for information,
advice and referral on mental illness contact theSANE Helplineon 1800 18 SANE (7263) or go online viasane.org. In other countries, call the relevant mental health
care emergency hotline or simply dial your emergency assistance telephone
number and ask for help.

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